Midtown car repair shop ‘loses’ customer’s car

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

HOUSTON, TX -- What would you do if you took your car in for an alignment and when you went in to pick it up they couldn't find it? That's what Sanjeev Pany and his wife Candice say happened to them at the the NTB on Louisiana last week.

"I dropped it off around 6pm," explains Pany. " I gave my keys to the person behind the counter. I signed a piece of paper authorizing them to do the work."

He says the mechanics called Monday evening to say work had been done but there was more to do on the 2006 Acura TSX. "When I called them the next morning, they said, 'We can't find your car. Are you sure you left your car with us?'" says Sanjeev, still incredulous.

"We were both in shock for about an hour," says Sanjeev's wife Candice. "We were just like, 'How can this happen?!'"

Sanjeev continues the story, "They had no luck locating it. They could not find the keys, and at that point, the manager suggested that we call the police because the car had been stolen."

Funny thing, though-- the keys were kept inside and the store had not been broken into. The Panys suspect this may be an inside job. Houston Police would say nothing more than calling this is an 'open investigation.'

NTB national spokesperson Jamie Levin issued a statement about the incident, saying, "We're continuing to cooperate with local authorities and will continue to do whatever we can to assist."

But it is not enough for the Panys, who are looking at having to buy a new car. "When something like this happens, and the company accepts no responsibility, even though it's pretty clear that they're responsible," says Sanjeev, "I think it makes you wonder, should you really be giving this company your business? And do you really trust these guys with your vehicle?"